


Eternity Served Cold

by RoSH (RoSH95)



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Apocalypsestuck, Character Death, Don't Read This, Flushed Romance | Matesprits, Gamzee Dies, I'm a terribubble person, Illustrated, Karkat dies, M/M, Pale Romance | Moirallegiance, Quadrant Confusion, Quadrant Vacillation, Sadstuck, Zombiestuck, all the character death, everyone dies, giving away the ending here
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-01
Updated: 2016-08-09
Packaged: 2018-07-28 18:06:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7651114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoSH95/pseuds/RoSH
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alternate Title: In Which RoSH Makes Poor Choices And Mutilates All The Feelings Whilst Killing Off Trolls Like There's No Tomorrow.</p><p>Prompt: Assuming the end of the world is still a thing that happens, what do you think would happen to the trolls had they NOT played SGRUB? (#Apocalypsestuck)</p><p>Summary: When thousands of trolls all over Alternia disappear in a single day, Gamzee has to set out into the blistering Alternian sun in search of his beloved diamond. Things are never that simple, however, and there's a time limit. Will Gamzee be able to find and save Karkat before its too late?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Eternity Served Cold

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! RoSH here! Just telling you that I'm horribubble and you shouldn't read this because its awful and terribubble and I hate myself DON'T LOOK AT ME.
> 
> One more thing before you go; I listened to the music on this site (http://homestuck.bandcamp.com/album/cherubim) as I wrote this story. Honestly, you can start at the beginning if you like, or pick a song that looks interesting, or, do what I did, and put Eternity Served Cold on repeat as you read. This beautiful music, combined with my story, will mutilate your feelings all the more. <33
> 
> I'm gonna go kill some trolls now. See you at the end notes. Assuming you make it to the end notes.

CG: YEAH I DONT KNOW SOME GAME HE WANTS US TO PLAY OR SOMETHING.  
CG: FUCK WHAT WAS THAT?  
CG: HANG ON SOMETHING REALLY FUCKING WEIRD IS GOING ON HERE  
CG: ILL BE BACK IN A FUCKING MINUTE  
CG: DONT ZONE OUT AND LOG THE FUCK OFF OR SOMETHING WHILE IM GONE.  
CG: SHIT GOTTA GO  
CG: JUST... HANG ON ONE FUCKING SECOND OKAY?

TC: SuRe ThInG mOtHeRfUcKeR!  
TC: hOnK!

 

You sort of zone out for a while, but you’re certain of one motherfucking thing; Karkat isn’t back in “one fucking second”. He’s also not back in a “fucking minute”. He’s not even back in a motherfucking hour. You don’t all up and motherfucking panic, because you’re too motherfucking chill for that, but you do worry a little motherfucking bit. Yeah fuck that you are totally motherfucking panicking right motherfucking now.

Karkat is your best friend, and you’d be lying if you said you didn’t have some red feelings for that little firecracker. Whether your feelings are flushed or pale is yet to be seen, but you sometimes get this motherfucking pity in your pusher that feels like both.

You’ve never told Karkat about your feelings for him, because you’re afraid of getting motherfucking “friend-zoned” like you did Tavros. Karkat was the motherfucker to help you through that rejection, so maybe that’s where your motherfucking feelings originated from? You don’t motherfucking know and, right now, you don’t motherfucking care. The only thing you care about is that your best of motherfucking bro’s is motherfucking missing and you are freaking the motherfuck out.

Okay. Calm down. It’s probably just taking him longer than anticipated to sort out whatever the motherfuck is happening over on his end of the motherfucking line. Any motherfucking second he’ll come back on and say “HEY NOOKSTAIN IM BACK YOU DIDNT ZONE THE FUCK OUT ON ME DID YOU?”

You sit down at your husktop and bring the motherfucking trollian chat box back up. What you see does not all up and comfort you in the motherfucking slightest.

 

carcinoGeneticist [CG]  is an idle troll!

carcinoGeneticist [CG] ’s husktop has exploded!

carcinoGeneticist [CG] is no longer available for trolling

carcinoGeneticist [CG] does not exist. Please try a different troll tag

TC: MoThErFuCk

terminallyCapricious [TC] ’s message to  carcinoGeneticist [CG] could not be delivered

 

You close out of the motherfucking window. Its motherfucking useless now. Instead, you troll your other friend, Sollux. Karkat had been up and talking about a game Sollux wanted them to play before whatever the fuck it was that up and happened to Karkat happened. Maybe he all up and motherfucking knows something?

 

terminallyCapricious [TC] began pestering  twinArmageddons [TA]

TC: HeY mOtHeRfUcKeR  
TC: cAn A bRoThEr ChIlL a PiEcE wItH a MoThErFuCkEr?  
T C: AnD mAyBe AsK a FeW qUeStIoNs?

TA: a2 u2ual, you make no fuckiing 2en2e.  
TA: what the fuck do you want GZ?  
TA: iim kiinda fuckiing bu2y over here

TC: I wAs AlL uP aNd MoThErFuCkInG tAlKiNg To KaRbRo  
TC: LiKe I uSuAlLy Do  
TC: He WaS mOtHeRfUcKiNg TeLlInG mE aBoUt ThAt MoThErFuCkInG gAmE yOu WaNtEd Us To PlAy

TA: gog damniit ii told hiim two keep hii2 trap 2hut about that!

TC: DONT INTERUPT MOTHERFUCKER  
TC: just shut the motherfuck up and listen  
TC: MOTHERFUCK

TA: ... 8l

TC: AnYwAyS  
TC: kArBrO wAs TeLlInG mE aBoUt ThE mOtHeRfUcKiNg GaMe  
TC: BuT tHeN sOmEtHiNg HaPpEnEd.  
TC: HaNg On LeT mE uP aNd CoPy ThE mOtHeRfUcKiNg MeSsAgEs.  
TC: CG: YEAH I DONT KNOW SOME GAME HE WANTS US TO PLAY OR SOMETHING. CG: FUCK WHAT WAS THAT? CG: HANG ON SOMETHING REALLY FUCKING WEIRD IS GOING ON HERE CG: ILL BE BACK IN A FUCKING MINUTE CG: DONT ZONE OUT AND LOG THE FUCK OFF OR SOMETHING WHILE IM GONE. CG: SHIT GOTTA GO CG: JUST... HANG ON ONE FUCKING SECOND OKAY?  
TC: TC: SuRe ThInG mOtHeRfUcKeR! TC: hOnK!  
TC: AnD tHeN tHiS mOtHeRfUcKiNg HaPpEnEd  
TC: carcinoGeneticist [CG] is an idle troll! carcinoGeneticist [CG]’s husktop has exploded! carcinoGeneticist [CG] is no longer available for trolling carcinoGeneticist [CG] does not exist. Please try a different troll tag

TA: ... oh fuck

TC: WhAt?

TA: oh FUCK

TC: MOTHERFUCKER TELL ME  
TC: what the motherfuck is going on?

TA: oh 2hiit fuckiing a22nugget2!

TC: MOTHERFUCKER!!!!

TA: ii thiink the 2ame thiing happened two ED, VR, TZ, NP, and TV  
TA: ii wa2 talkiing two ED and he 2aiid 2omethiing “fii2hy” wa2 happeniing and he wa2 gonna go check iit out  
TA: a liittle biit later ii got tho2e 2ame exact me22age2  
TA: ii thought he wa2 ju2t playiing around or 2ome 2hiit  
TA: but then EQ me22aged me freakiing out 2ayiing that NP wa2 gone and he couldn’t get ahold of VR  
TA: ii tried me22agiing TV two 2ee iif he knew where 2he wa2 but got that 2ame me22age agaiin.  
TA: ii wa2 ju2t about two me22age KK when you me22aged me

TC: MOTHERFUCK

TA: my thought2 exactly

TC: you gotta help me solbro  
TC: HELP ME FIND KARBRO  
TC: i need my diamond  
TC: I NEED TO FIND HIM

TA: fuck calm down  
TA: we’re all meetiing at my place iin the eveniing two di2cu22 what step2 we 2hould take two fiind our mii22iing friiend2

TC: thats not soon enough  
TC: THATS NOT MOTHERFUCKING GOOD ENOUGH  
TC: karbro could be dead  
TC: HE COULD BE DYING  
TC: i need to go now  
TC: I NEED TO FIND HIM NOW

TA: 2hiit okay ju2t...  
TA: take your hu2ktop wiith you  
TA: that way we’ll be iin touch  
TA: and we can tell you anythiing we fiind out that miight lead you two KK

TC: ...  
TC: thanks motherfucker  
TC: A BROTHER APPRECIATES THE MOTHERFUCKING HELP

TA: 2ure...  
TA: ii’ll 2end KN after you two  
TA: 2he2 pretty hardy and can move around iin 2unliight 2o 2he 2hould be okay  
TA: and youre a fuckiing hiighblood 2o...  
TA: you 2hould be fiine?

TC: motherfuck i dont care about me  
TC: I ONLY UP AND CARE ABOUT MY MOTHERFUCKING BROTHER

TA: yeah ii kiinda got that

 

You close your husktop and captchalogue it. You check to make sure your motherfucking wicked juggling clubs are put away in your strife specibus like they’re supposed to be and grab a couple of your motherfucking wicked elixirs for the road. You don’t take your pies. You’re not hungry. They make your pan all fuzzy and you need it to be sharp and clear for this.

Karkat doesn’t like you eating them anyways.

It’s still day out, but you don’t give a motherfuck. You step out into the blistering sun and, keeping your eyes downcast on the ground in front of you, you begin to run.

 

==>

You’ve never seen Gamzee run and it’s a strange sight, to say the least. He’s always seemed so clumsy, but all his movements are so fluid and smooth that it really shouldn’t surprise you to note that when he runs, he looks like he’s flying.

His long legs stretch and move so fast that they hardly seem to touch the sand covered ground. Living on the beach has clearly taught him how to move across sand without trouble. He keeps his head down and his bangs shield his eyes, probably to hide them from the blistering sun.

You yourself find the sun’s warmth a comfort, but you can understand how others would think otherwise. When you’re not used to the heat, it can be a little too hot for comfort.

The desert that stretches out from the beach is where you built you hive, so Gamzee has to pass by your home to reach the inlands. Of course, for all you know, Karkat and the other friends of yours that have gone missing could have been taken out to sea, but the mainland is probably the best place to start your search.

Gamzee looks up and you think he sees you, but he shows no sign of stopping or slowing his pace, so you turn and start jogging, picking up the pace and settling in beside him. His speed is surprising, but not one you can’t keep up with. Truth be told, he could probably run faster if it was night.

“Hello, Gamzee,” you say pleasantly. “How are you today? Aside from the obvious.”

Gamzee huffs out a short, harsh sounding puff of laughter.

“Motherfuck, how does it look like I’m all up and motherfucking doing?” he says and it’s so soft you have to strain to hear it against the pumping of your blood in your ears.

“Yes, I had guessed as much,” you say. “I am also rather concerned about this unforeseen turn of events.”

Gamzee hums—it sounds more like a growl—to show that he heard you, but otherwise doesn’t say anything.

You take his lead and keep running in silence for a while.

You are just reaching the edge of the desert and beginning of the large, seemingly endless forest that Terezi lives in, when both you and Gamzee’s husktops beep in your sylladezx’s, alerting you of an incoming message.

“Let’s take a short rest in the shade of the trees and see what our friends have to say,” you suggest.

Gamzee growls in frustration, but agrees, and you slow to a stop.

You settle yourself on a large boulder and decaptchalogue your husktop. Gamzee also takes his husktop out, but he can’t seem to sit still and ends up pacing around you while balancing his husktop in the crook of his arm.

Opening trollian, you find that Sollux has opened a memo.

twinArmageddons [TA] opened a memo in re2cue mii22iion

twinArmageddons [TA] invited  terminallyCapricious [TC] and  grimAuxiliatrix [GA] to join the memo

TA: hey guy2  
TA: found 2ome iinfo that miight iintere2t you  
TA: accordiing two thii2 2iite here over a thou2and troll2 dii2appeared la2t day

GA: This Is Most Concerning  
GA: Does Anyone Have Any Idea What May Have Happened To Them?  
GA: Also, How Do Over A Thousand Trolls Disappear In One Day?

TA: there are a few 2peculatiion2  
TA: but no defiiniite an2wer  
TA: 2ome people 2eem two thiink iit2 a 2iign of the apacolyp2e  
TA: other2 beliieve that it2 an experiiment funded by the empire  
TA: but no one really ha2 any fact2 two back up theiir claiim2

GA: I See

TA: anyway2 how2 iit goiing on your end?

GA: Gamzee And I Have Just Reached The Forest Where Terezi’s Hive Is Located  
GA: We Will Progress To Her Hive I Think And See If There Is Anything To Discover There  
GA: Perhaps There Will Be Some Clues To Lead Us To Her And Also Karkat And The Others

TA: that2 a2 good a plan a2 any  
TA: alriight we’ll be iin touch  
TA: EQ and FF ju2t got two my hiive  
TA: AA ii2 gonna joiin you two  
TA: dont a2k how 2he2 gonna get there and fiind you ii have no iidea

apocalypseArisen [AA] responded to memo

AA: i am waiting at terezi’s hive  
AA: i arrived 0nly m0ments ag0  
AA: while i am waiting i will begin investigating  
AA: that way we will be able t0 m0ve straight 0n if my search d0es n0t reveal any results

TA: how the fuck diid you get to TZ’2 place 2o fa2t?  
TA: actually you know what?  
TA: ii dont wanna know  
TA: good plan AA  
TA: me22age me straiight away iif you fiind anythiing

AA: 0f c0urse

GA: Gamzee And I Will Move Out Then  
GA: We Will See You At Terezi’s Then, Aradia?

AA: y0u might  
AA: 0r y0u might n0t  
AA: see me that is

apocalypseArisen [AA] ceased responding to memo

TA: what the fuck diid 2he mean by that?

GA: Your Guess Is As Good As Mine  
GA: She’s Always Been A Bit Strange Since That Revenge Incident Between Her, Tavros, Terezi, And Vriska.

TA: true  
TA: well  
TA: talk two you later?

GA: Most Certainly.

grimAuxiliatrix [GA] ceased responding to memo

 

You close out of the memo and turn to Gamzee. He already has his husktop put away back in his sylladex and is looking at you expectantly. You stand and take a moment to stretch your limbs.

Then, you nod to your silent companion.

“Let’s go.”

 

==>

_Ughhhhh..._

Everything hurts.

Your knees are protesting, pressed against something cold, hard, and unyielding. Your arms are suspended above you, spread out on either side of you, and they ache from having been held up for so long. Your shoulders are screaming in protest, you probably have a hundred knots in them. You have a crick in your neck because your head has been hanging forward, putting a lot of strain on it. You think your hands are numb, because you can’t feel anything above your right elbow and left wrist. There’s a dull pain in your stomach.

_What the fuck happened?_ you wonder.

The last thing you remember was talking to Gamzee. Then, you heard something happening outside. You left your hive, and then...

Everything blacks out.

That’s as far as you can remember.

Why can’t you remember the rest?

_Why can’t you open your eyes??_

A memory comes back to you then; red hot irons in the shape of your sign, right in front of your eyes. A searing pain that seemed to split through your pan. Hot. Too hot. Painfully hot. _Burning_.

The fuckers burned your eyes out.

The realization of that also makes you realize the pain you’re still in. You scream in agony. You scream and scream and scream but none of it makes the pain go away.

Eventually, you just pass out again from pain and exhaustion.

 

==>

You and Kanaya run through the motherfucking day to get to Terezi’s hive, reaching it just as that unforgiving sun is setting.

Your dark purple eyes flit around in search of Aradia and, when you find her, you can’t seem to find it in you to be surprised that she’s semi-transparent. All of your emotions and thoughts are fixated on finding Karkat, and that leaves little behind to care about the state of your friends.

Kanaya, evidently, doesn’t all up and feel the same as you. She gasps when she sees Aradia. Or maybe her reaction is because of the state of Terezi’s motherfucking hive. Maybe it’s both.

“Oh my _gog_ ,” Kanaya gasps. “What _happened_ here?”

“Soomething bad,” Aradia says in her monotone voice laced with the rustblooded accent.

The hive has been nearly destroyed, completely pulled out of the tree it had been nestled in. There are strange claw marks on the bark of the tree and walls of the house. Stranger still is the rainbow colored blood splattered on the ground. You spot Terezi’s cane lying amidst the wreckage and walk over to pick it up.

“Aradia, what—?” Kanaya’s voice breaks and she has to swallow and start again. “What happened? Did you find anything?”

She looks somewhat startled by Aradia’s ghostly appearance, but she has apparently put those feelings aside for the time being, in order to deal with the motherfucking situation at hand.

Aradia turns in midair to observe the wreckage thoughtfully.

“Many came foor her,” she says, pointing to the bloody mess on the ground. “There was a struggle. Noone were killed, but Terezi was taken.”

“ _Where_ was she taken?” you growl.

Aradia points silently to the trail of blood leading away from the hive.

You don’t even spare a glance at Kanaya before you are striding away, following the trail.

“What if the trail ends?” you hear Kanaya ask as she follows you.

“I think I will be able too foolloow based oon the spiritual pressure,” Aradia replies. “Assuming that the trail is still fresh, it shoould noot be too hard.”

You barely listen to them as they continue to speak. You are too focused, too intent on finding Karkat.

Your best. _Motherfucking_. Friend.

You can feel it. You’re getting closer to him. If you follow this path, you will find him.

 

==>

You follow the trail of blood through the night. Aradia doesn’t need to sleep, because she’s a ghost, and Gamzee doesn’t show any signs of drowsiness. You, however, are feeling exhaustion begin to set it.

Evidently, Aradia notices, because she stops and says, “Gamzee.”

Gamzee turns and you nearly recoil from the darkness in his gaze. But then it’s gone and you’re left looking at Gamzee, exhausted and beaten.

“Sorry, Kan,” he says softly. “Guess I forgot trolls need to sleep, huh?”

“That’s alright,” you answer. “Let’s check in with Sollux before we go to bed.”

Gamzee blinks.

“Oh, yeah, I almost up and forgot that motherfucker,” he says, still keeping his voice unnaturally soft.

All three of you take your husktops out of your sylladexs and sit in a small circle on the ground.

 

grimAuxiliatrix [GA] responded to memo

GA: Sollux We Are Here For Our Morning Check In

TA: great  
TA: diid you fiind anythiing at TZ’2 place?

GA: Ah Yes We Must Have Forgotten To Tell You In All The Excitement

TA: that2 okay not liike iit wa2 iimportant or anythiing

GA: Do I Detect A Hint Of Sarcasm?

TA: of fuckiing cour2e not  
TA: what make2 you thiink iim beiing 2arca2tiic???

GA: I Do Apologize  
GA: I Seem To Have Misread You

TA: ...  
TA: that wa2 2arca2m

GA: Oh...

TA: 2o what diid you fiind?

GA: Right, Of Course  
GA: Terezi’s Hive Was In Ruins When We Got There  
GA: It Had Been Pulled Out Of The Tree It Was In And Was A Wreckage On The Ground  
GA: I Noted Several Strange Claw Marks On The Tree And Hive  
GA: There Was Also Blood Of Every Color On The Spectrum Splattered Around On The Ground  
GA: Aradia Says That Many Came To Capture Terezi And, While No One Was Killed, We Can Assume There Were Many Serious Injuries  
GA: There Was No Sign Of Terezi Anywhere, So I Believe We Can Conclude That She Was Taken.  
GA: Have I Missed Anything?

apocalypseArisen [AA] responded to memo

AA: n0pe

TA: 2o where are you guy2 now?

GA: We Are Currently Following A Trail Of Blood That We Have Reason To Believe Will Lead Us To Terezi

TA: 2weet  
TA: we diidnt fiind much out on my end today  
TA: FF and EQ were makiing two biig of a fu22 over how our friiend2 are mii22iing and all  
TA: ii got them 2ettled down now and theyre workiing on traciing 2ome of the other mii22iing troll2 weve come acro22  
TA: lookiing through troll log2 two 2ee iif there are any clue2 left behind

centaursTesticle [CT] responded to memo

CT: Captor I have found something.

GA: Equius, If I May Be So Bold, What Happened To Your Quirk?  
GA: You Know, The Bow And Arrow You Put At The Beginning?

CT: I have resolved not to use it until such time as my moirail is returned to me.

TA: what diid you fiind?

CT: It might be nothing, but this site claims to know the whereabouts of several trolls living in one of the major cities.  
CT: The acclaimed location is not far from the city itself.  
CT: If Karkat’s profile can be believed, he lived in that city.

cuttlefishCuller [CC] responded to memo

CC: Looking at t)(e map, you t)(ree are pretty close to Tavros’s )(ive, w)(ic)( is just outside t)(e city.  
CC: I would suggest c)(ecking out Tavros’s )(ive first and see if it looks t)(e same as Terezi’s  
CC: T)(--EN you s)(ould move on to t)(e city

GA: I Find This Plan To Be Agreeable  
GA: Does Anyone Have Any Objections?

TA: not from me

CT: Neighther from me.

CC: M--E --EIT)(TH--ER!

AA: i have n0 0bjecti0ns t0 this c0urse 0f acti0n

GA: Gamzee?

terminallyCapricious [TC] responded to memo

TC: dont care

terminallyCapricious [TC] ceased responding to memo

GA: Very Well  
GA: Once We Have Rested, We Will Continue On To Tavros’s Hive And Investigate It  
GA: We Will Report Our Findings To You Before Moving On To The City, Where We Will Investigate Karkat’s Hive As Well As This Location Equius Has Mentioned.

TA: 2ound2 good  
TA: we’ll keep at iit for a liitle whiile longer over here ii thiink  
TA: me22age u2 before you head out agaiin  
TA: you know  
TA: ju2t 2o we know youre 2tiill aliive

GA: But Of Course

TA: cool  
TA: talk two you iin the eveniing then  
TA: we’ll keep postiing our fiindiing2 iin thii2 memo

AA: i believe it w0uld als0 be wise if we had s0me0ne awake and available t0 be c0ntacted at all times 0n either side in case 0f an emergency  
AA: i 0f c0urse will be the 0ne f0r 0ur side  
AA: but what 0f y0u

CT: Today, I will remain vigil. I cannot rest knowing my moirail is missing

TA: iill do tomorrow

CC: Guess t)(at leaves t)(e next day for me!

TA: are you 2ure you can 2tay up AA?

AA: i understand y0ur c0ncern  
AA: but it is n0t necessary  
AA: i have n0t slept in a sweep

TA: ...  
TA: okay...?  
TA: the fuck doe2 that mean?

apocalypseArisen [AA] ceased responding to memo

GA: Trust Me On This One  
GA: You Don’t Want To Know.

grimAuxiliatrix [GA] ceased responding to memo

 

You close out of the memo and return your husktop to your sylladex.

“Yoou shoould get soome rest,” Aradia says, her eerily empty white eyes resting on you.

“Yes,” you reply, because you cannot think of anything else. “Goodnight.”

“Goooodnight,” Aradia says.

Gamzee just grunts.

Well, you didn’t expect much else with how talkative he’s been lately.

That was sarcasm, by the way.

 

==>

You are woken in the middle of the day by Aradia.

“Wazzup?” you say sleepily, but she just puts a finger to her lips, signaling for you to shut your motherfucking trap and be quiet, before moving on to wake Kanaya.

You sit up and rub the sleep from your eyes as you begin to take in your surroundings, looking for anything unnatural. It’s not until you clear the fog in your head that you hear the strange growls and the sound of shuffling feet moving through the woods. Your eyes widen and you shoot Aradia a glance, but she shakes her head.

Kanaya is awake now, eyes narrowed and ears twitching as she listens intently.

Aradia nudges you and motions to the large tree you had slept under. You raise an eyebrow at her, silently asking, “You want me to climb that motherfucker?”

She nods and floats up to one of the lower branches.

You tap Kanaya gently to get her attention and then begin to climb. You make to stop on the branch Aradia’s perched on, but she shakes her head and motions for you to climb higher. You roll your eyes but comply. Arguing won’t do you any good here, except to attract the attention of whatever is shuffling around down there.

You reach one of the middle branches and lean against the trunk, reaching one long arm down to help heave Kanaya up.

From your branch, you have a clear view of the empty sky, red sun bearing down on Alternia. The brightness of it doesn’t bother you so much now as it did the first day.

“I’m gooing too goo doown and have a looook,” Aradia whispers, appearing beside you.

Kanaya gasps and clutches her chest at Aradia’s sudden appearance, but you don’t so much as flinch.

Aradia floats down towards the ground, but keeps herself hidden in the branches. She soon disappears from view and you lean back to look at the sky again.

“What’s down there, do you think?” Kanaya whispers to you.

“Don’t know,” you grunt back.

Kanaya hugs her knees to her chest and gazes up at the sky with you.

“I know I don’t seem it,” she says softly, “but I’m scared. I’m scared for myself, for our friends, for the entire planet. Something’s wrong. This wasn’t supposed to happen. My dreams didn’t say anything about this at _all_ and... Gamzee. _I’m so scared_.”

Her voice breaks at the end and your bloodpusher twitches slightly with pity. You reach out to put one long-fingered hand on her shoulder and squeeze gently. It’s all the comfort you can give her. It’s not like you can up and promise that things are going to be okay, because you don’t motherfucking _know_.

Kanaya seems to get your message though, because she smiles sadly at you and places a slender hand over yours.

You sit in silence again for a while, before Aradia is suddenly back, eyes blown wide with fear.

“We have too get oout oof here,” she says, no longer bothering to keep her voice down. “ _Noow_.”

“What is it?” Kanaya asks, fear creeping its way into her voice.

“I doon’t knoow,” Aradia wails, distressed. “They looook like troolls, but they’re noot mooving right and soome oof them are coovered in blooood and all oof them looook dead!”

Her sudden display of emotion is enough to get both you and Kanaya moving, scrambling back down the tree with Aradia breathing down your necks.

As soon as you are back on solid ground, you only wait long enough to catch Kanaya as she drops out of the tree before you are moving, sprinting down the trail of blood you had been following the night before.

However, it seems to you, that there is more blood than before.

_What the motherfuck is going on?_

You see the first one before Kanaya and Aradia and stop dead in your tracks. You aren’t sure what to call it. It looks like a troll, but its eyes are all black—as opposed to Aradia’s white ones—and its covered in blood. Most of the blood appears to be its own, but around its mouth and on its arms and hands are multiple colors.

It’s just standing there, staring vacantly off into the distance, but then Kanaya sees it and shrieks, and those horribly black eyes turn sharply on you.

You freeze, all of your muscles tense up.

Another joins the first, then another, and another, until there’s a whole pack of them on the path ahead of you.

Aradia whispers, “ _Run_ ,” at the same time as the creatures lunge at you and you all scatter.

Kanaya whips out her lipstick/chainsaw and Aradia starts throwing things around like a trollian cyclone. You pull out your clubs and start smashing anything that comes close enough. When the first drop of blood splatters your clubs, it’s all you can do just to hang on to your mind as you feel the last threads of control slipping away.

You feel your lips twist into an insane grin as you smash and bash and crush the skulls of the trollish creatures. Their blood splatters the ground as you knock their heads clean off their bodies and it paints such a _miraculous_ picture.

You stop at last when there isn’t anything left to hit. You blink away the red haze of your bloodrage and look around. There is blood _everywhere_. And Kanaya...

“Kanaya!”

She’s laying on the ground a little ways from you with one of the creatures sitting on her chest. Its... its _eating_ her heart.

Her eyes are still open, disbelief evident on her face as her eyes lose their life and fog over.

You can feel your bloodrage coming back, but before it can consume you, a tree swooshes down and knocks the thing off Kanaya. You shake your head to clear it and rush over to her.

“Gam-zee...” she chokes on your name. “Kill - me. Please, kill me... before I - become like - _them_.”

Looking into her eyes, you can see it happening. They are fogging with death, but a liquid black is also pooling into them, covering the yellow and beautiful jade streaked grey of her eyes.

She grabs your hand and you feel her sharp nails digging into your palm.

“Horror-terrors,” she says desparately. “It’s... horrorterrors. I - feel them... in my head. Talking... controlling... want to use my - body. Gamzee... Karkat. You... must find - Karkat. He’s...”

But you never find out what Kanaya meant to say, because her voice cuts off and her head lolls back and her mouth opens in a silent scream as her body is overcome with violent spasms. She looks like she’s in so much pain, you can’t bear it.

“I’m sorry, Kanaya,” you say, raising your club.

You bring it down on top of her head as hard as you can. There’s a sickening _squish_ as her head is crushed beneath your club. Your pusher wrenches painfully, but you know what you’ve done is right. Kanaya asked you to, and... she was in so much pain during those last moments of her life.

Without looking at the mess of jade blood, you pull your club away and captchalogue it again.

“Hooroorterroors...” Aradia breathes. “I never woould have guessed. This must mean that the Empress’s lusus, the Emissary, is dead.”

“Looks that way,” you say and your voice is surprisingly steady.

“We shoould leave, befoore anymoore oof them turn up,” Aradia suggests.

_Let them come_. you think. _They’ll all feel my motherfucking wrath. They’ll all know the weight of my motherfucking clubs and despair as I paint the wicked pictures with their motherfucking blood._

You shake your head again because that is definitely not a train of thought you should be following.

_Karkat_. you remind yourself. Think of Karkat. You have to find him. That’s your first priority.

“Which way is Tavbro’s hive?” you ask.

Aradia points.

“The blooood trail we were foolloowing leads past Tavroos’s hive,” she says. “I woould have guessed that he was their next target, but after seeing what we have tooday, I’m noot soo sure anymoore.”

You move in the direction that she pointed, trying to think of a way to reply. Luckily, you don’t have to.

“Oonce we’re away froom this place, we shoould message Soollux and tell him what happened,” Aradia says.

“Yeah.”

You aren’t looking forward to that conversation.

 

==>

terminallyCapricious [TC] responded to memo

TC: kanayas dead

TA: excu2e me?  
TA: plea2e dont tell me you ju2t saiid what ii thiink you saiid.

apocalypseArisen [AA] responded to memo

AA: unf0rtunately, its true  
AA: h0wever  
AA: her death was n0t in vain  
AA: we gained s0me valuable inf0rmati0n fr0m it  
AA: gamzee w0uld y0u be s0 kind as t0 relay kanayas last w0rds as y0u said them t0 me

TC: “horrorterrors. its horrorterrors. i feel them in my head. talking. controlling. want to use my body. gamzee. karkat. you must find karkat. hes...”  
TC: then she started spasming and i killed her  
TC: she asked me to  
TC: before that

TA: ii... ii 2ee

AA: i have c0ncluded fr0m this that the empress lusus  
AA: the emissary  
AA: is dead  
AA: and the h0rr0rterr0rs are using their newf0und freed0m t0 c0ntr0l the minds and b0dies 0f deceased tr0lls and reanimate them  
AA: based 0n this assumpti0n  
AA: i w0uld guess that t0 kill them y0u w0uld need t0 st0p all brain functi0ns  
AA: smashing their skull appears t0 work  
AA: as d0es kn0cking their head 0ff  
AA: i assume a bullet t0 the brain w0uld d0 the trick as well  
AA: th0ugh i have n0 way t0 pr0ve that the0ry at the m0ment

TA: AA... how can you 2eem 2o calm about thii2?  
TA: KN i2 dead  
TA: dont you feel anythiing about that?

AA: 0f c0urse  
AA: i had n0 desire t0 see such a kind pers0n die  
AA: i am very saddened by her passing  
AA: h0wever  
AA: i believe my em0ti0ns are dulled due t0 my 0wn death which happened quite s0me time ag0  
AA: y0u remember

TA: ...  
TA: you mean...  
TA: that... that actually happened??

AA: yes

TA: oh my gog  
TA: AA...

AA: it d0es n0t matter  
AA: it happened  
AA: its d0ne  
AA: we need t0 f0cus 0n the present

TA: riight... 2orry.  
TA: what do you thiink KN wa2 tryiing two 2ay about KK before 2he diied?

AA: as t0 that we have n0 idea  
AA: he is imp0rtant  
AA: that is my guess

TA: ii dont know  
TA: iit 2eem2 two obviiou2  
TA: you 2aiid the2e are trollii2h creature2 that have diied and been reaniimated by horrorterrors?  
TA: do you thiink KK could be the cure?  
TA: liike maybe he2 got 2ome kiind of p2ychiic block and the horrorterrors cant control hiim  
TA: iit would explaiin why he wa2 taken

AA: either that 0r it was just a c0incidence and he is n0w 0ne of them

TC: dont you dare motherfucking say that  
TC: karbros alive  
TC: i can feel it

AA: well then we must g0 with s0lluxs the0ry  
AA: assuming we are c0rrect  
AA: i w0uld guess that karkat is being held s0mewhere secure  
AA: s0mewhere hard t0 find  
AA: s0mewhere away from civilizati0n

centaursTesticle [CT] responded to memo

CT: Nepeta’s cave.  
CT: Of course.

AA: yes that is al0ng the lines i was thinking  
AA: it is well hidden and difficult t0 access  
AA: it is als0 cl0se t0 the city where karkat lives.

cuttlefishCuller [CC] responded to memo

CC: Satellite images of t)(e area surrounding Nepeta’s cave s)(ow an unusual amount of activity  
CC: UV images also s)(ow t)(at t)(e activity is mostly being done around large bodies of water t)(at werent previously t)(ere  
CC: --Eit)(er t)(at or its a bunc)( of dead bodies close toget)(er

TA: then iit mu2t be NP’2 cave

CT: Yes

TA: alriight we’ll head out and meet you guy2 there

AA: im n0t sure thats a g00d idea

TA: why the fuck not?  
TA: KK’2 ju2t a2 much my friiend a2 he ii2 your2  
TA: even more 2o!

AA: well f0r 0ne  
AA: i am already dead and thus have n0 b0dy 0r brain f0r the h0rr0rterr0rs t0 c0ntr0l  
AA: and f0r an0ther  
AA: gamzee is a highbl00d with incredible strength  
AA: perhaps even greater than equius based 0n what i have seen

CT: Well, he is a purpleb100d.  
CT: The STRENGTH of purpleb100ds is said to be rivaled only by other purpleb100ds  
CT: So it would make sense that he is much STRONGER than I.

TA: back on 2ubject  
TA: how doe2 any of that have anythiing two do wiith why we cant come along two 2ave KK?!

AA: gamzee and i will be very difficult t0 kill  
AA: h0wever  
AA: the rest 0f y0u are left in a very vulnerable p0siti0n  
AA: these creatures are much faster and str0nger than any 0f us  
AA: gamzee al0ne is able t0 h0ld his 0wn against them  
AA: i 0nly survived because i am already dead  
AA: and y0u cann0t kill that which has already died

TA: ii can 2tiill fiight!  
TA: ii have my p2iioniic2  
TA: EQ ha2 hii2 mon2ter 2trength  
TA: FF ha2 her hiighblood 2trength and durabiiliity

CC: Sollux is rig)(t!  
CC: Don’t be so quick as to downgrade our own strengt)(!  
CC: We can fig)(t just as well as t)(e rest of you!

AA: kanaya was als0 an extra0rdinary fighter  
AA: yet she still fell t0 th0se m0nsters  
AA: if y0u are determined t0 c0me  
AA: i will n0t st0p y0u  
AA: after all  
AA: y0ur life is y0urs t0 thr0w away h0w y0u please  
AA: i just did n0t wish t0 watch anym0re 0f my friends die while i am f0rced t0 sit back and watch  
AA: and live  
AA: and c0ntinue t0 live this half life  
AA: al0ne and in misery

TA: yeah yeah 2hut up AA  
TA: we’re comiing and that2 fiinal

CC: Y--ES!!

CT: Agreed  
CT: We will come  
CT: And lend our STRENGTH to you.

TC: ...  
TC: thanks motherfuckers

 

==>

The next time you wake up, your body is still sore and aching, but the sockets where your eyes used to be do not burn anymore.

The room you are in is silent as death and you cannot hear anything outside its walls either. However, without your eyes, you find yourself strangely alert and more perceptive of your other senses. You can hear every little noise in the room; the soft _plink_ of water dripping, the _clink_ of your chains as you shift, the _shhhh_ of your bare foot sliding across stone floor. You lift your head and breathe in deeply, smelling and tasting the room. It’s wet and dank, and it smells dark.

You’re in a cave, you realize. Using your feet to feel around yourself and holding onto the chains for balance, you scope out what little you can of the room. Your hands are chained to two stone pillars on either side of you, clasped near the ceiling to keep you slightly suspended on your knees. The wall is about two paces behind you, but you don’t know where the other three are.

As you allow yourself to relax and get a feel for the room, breathing in deeply to keep the scents and tastes coming, you recognize the scent and flavor of blood. At first, you think it’s your blood, but the taste isn’t quite right. If you had to describe your blood’s flavor, you would describe it as a sweet and yet tart. Like strawberries, perhaps. This blood isn’t that. The flavor is muddled and confused, like it’s a bunch of different bloods mixed together. A dash of tangy orange here, a splash of sweet honey there, a pool of cool water here, a pinch of sugary grape there. It’s all mixed up and confusing.

You finally come to the conclusion that you are being held in a torture chamber of some sort. You are surprisingly calm about it.

You always knew you were going to be culled. You have spent your entire life preparing for it, and you are not afraid. But... you don’t want to die. There are so many things you didn’t get to do. You wanted to be in a matespritship with Terezi; a moirallegiance with Gamzee. You dreamed of Auspistizing for Eridan, if he ever got a Kismesis that didn’t fit in that quadrant. You never told all your friends how much you cared; that you didn’t hate them, you pitied them.

You guess you’ll never get the chance to tell them now.

You hope everyone’s okay.

You are about to slip back into slumber when you hear it; the sounds of battle, unnervingly close. Your ears twitch and you sit up straighter, lifting your head to smell and taste the air again. At first, nothing smells different, it’s the same dark, wet, and dank scent and taste from before. Then, you are suddenly hit with the scent of blood so strong that it sends you reeling backwards, tugging at your chains.

_HOLY FUCK THAT’S A LOT OF BLOOD!_

You take deep breaths to calm yourself and try to focus on the sounds you’re hearing. There’s a lot of growling and screaming going on. It’s so loud, it sounds like it’s happening right next to you.

_Oh gog, that’s Sollux’s voice_.

You can hear him shouting, his lisp painfully clear. Then, his voice dissolves into wordless screams of agony.

“ _SOLLUX!_ ” you scream, and your voice echoes around the room.

You sob but continue to listen, Sollux is still screaming; he sounds like he’s in pain. You hear Aradia shriek in rage and pain when his scream cuts off suddenly. Then, you hear Feferi. Oh gog, Feferi. Her booming voice rises above all the others almost like the Emissary herself. There’s a loud _crash_ and the ground shakes. Then you hear Equius, he’s screaming something, you think you hear him say “Nepeta” before his voice is cut off by a feral snarl that jars you. The echoing _rrrrip_ that comes after that sends shivers down your spine. You don’t hear Equius’s voice again. Feferi is still screaming all of her highblood rage at whatever the fuck they’re fighting, but her’s is the only voice you can hear now.

_Is she the only one left? Where is Gamzee? Why haven’t I heard his voice yet? Where is Terezi? Nepeta? Kanaya? Vriska? Eridan? Tavros? Why don’t I hear any of them?_

You’re still straining your ears to hear them, unconsciously straining against your bonds, when you hear the door open with a _swish_ and a _crunch_. You turn towards the sound, lifting your head and tasting the air.

_Grapes? No... Grape... faygo?_

“Motherfuck.”

“...Gamzee?”

 

==>

Your eyes are drawn to him the second you enter the cave. His cherry red, bright and warm, contrasts with the dark cold grey of the cave. His wrist are chained to two pillars on either side of him, spread and suspended above his head so that his knees just rest on the ground. He’s not wearing a shirt, and you can clearly see the six pale scars, three on each side, that you recognize as gill flaps. His horns are glowing red, a sign of extreme pain and blood loss. Your heart wrenches at the sight of him.

Then, he lifts his head and turns towards you, and you see the blank emptiness of his eye sockets. Your throat clenches and you have to clench your fists and breathe through your nose to keep from retching. His face is stained with red, his black hair falls long like a shadow across his forehead and down his neck.

He’s only been missing a week, but he’s already broken beyond repair. You can’t breathe for the pain of it.

“Motherfuck,” you gasp.

Karkat releases a soft breath.

“...Gamzee?”

It’s all you can do not to fly across the room and wrap him up in your arms. His voice is so soft, just barely a whisper of breath, it’s almost silent compared to the volume that you’re used to hearing spill out of his lips.

“Karkat,” you say instead, stepping into the room and letting the door close behind you.

Your eyes adjust quickly to the darkness and you see a flicker of a smile on Karkat’s face.

“Gam...” he says, and he sounds... lighter. “Come closer.”

He’s leaning towards you, you realize; as far as his chains will allow. He looks like he’s about to dislocate his shoulders just to get to you, so you comply, approaching him on soft steps, like he’s a wild animal you’re afraid of startling.

When you’re right in front of him, you drop to your knees and gently place a hand on each shoulder, pushing him back slightly.

“Careful, brother,” you say. “You’re gonna hurt yourself even more if you keep doing that.”

The smile that lights his face is beautiful and radiant and it makes you want to cry.

“Gamzee,” his voice, so soft, is even lighter now. He sounds free, like he’s already loose from his bonds.

He leans his head forward and you know what he’s searching for. You gently dip your shoulder to get it under his chin and he settles comfortably against you.

“What’s happened?” he asks, after a long silence. “I heard fighting.”

Your eyebrows shoot up.

“Damn, brother, you heard that?” you say. “We were all the way down the side of the motherfucking mountain and at least half a league away.”

“Guess losing my eyes heightened my other senses,” Karkat replies. “I heard Sollux, Aradia, Feferi, and Equius, but I never heard you. Or Kanaya, Eridan, Nepeta, Terezi, Vriska, Tavros... where’s everyone else?”

You stiffen. Their faces flash in your mind, eyes black and faces twisted with snarls. You watch as, one by one, they fall beneath your club.

“Dead,” you reply, softly. “All of them.”

Karkat pulls away, a mortified expression on his face.

“How...?”

“How did this happen?” you chuckle. “It’s because of the motherfucking Horrorterrors. Emissary is dead and the motherfuckers decided to take control of all the dead bodies. And you... you’re the cure, brother, the one thing they can’t control. That’s why they took you. Everyone else was just a motherfucking coincidence, a fatality in the search for you. Terezi, Tavros, Vriska, Eridan, and Nepeta... just a bunch of dead motherfuckers. Although Nepeta I’m not sure was a coincidence seeing as they up and used her motherfucking cave as a base. Me and Kanaya went searching for you. Aradia came and helped. Sollux, Feferi and Equius helped by searching for information. When we found you, everyone came to help free you. They all died.”

Karkat swallows with difficulty.

“How did you survive?” he asks. “How did you survive when everyone else died?”

“I helped,” says the familiar monotone of Aradia from the doorway. “Reunioon’s oover, I’m afraid. Feferi is dead. They’re cooming. Its time too goo.”

You nod and reach up with both hands, winding Karkat’s chains around your wrists. With a sharp yank, you bend and break the metal, freeing Karkat. With the chains no longer supporting his weight, Karkat falls forward with a startled yelp, but you are there to catch him. You pick up his impossibly tiny frame and carry him out the door.

You reach the base of the mountain with no trouble, but that’s where the simplicity of it ends.

Waiting for you at the bottom is a hoard of the undead, claws out and teeth bared.

“Hold on tight, little motherfucker,” you say to Karkat, shifting him to your back so your arms are free to fight. “Dia, guard my back.”

Aradia nods.

You take out your clubs and sink into a crouch, you’re so ready to fight. You won’t let anyone hurt Karkat ever again.

 

==>

You slump to the ground, defeated. You don’t have enough strength to fight and, without your eyes, how can you?

That fight was over before it began. The ending was always inevitable, you should have seen it from the start. You can hear Gamzee struggling to breathe through his torn and shredded windpipes. He threw you from him as soon as he realized he was going to be overcome. You felt like you flew through the air for ages before you sank into Aradia’s ghostly arms.

She’s keeping them away from you right now, but it’s a lost cause. You’re all going to die hear.

“Karkat,” Gamzee’s ragged voice cuts through your turmoil of thoughts like a knife.

“Don’t... don’t talk,” you whisper, choking on tears. This is it. He’s going to die here.

“No, brother,” Gamzee wheezes. “Gotta... gotta tell you somethin’.”

Your hand fists in his shirt and you feel his large, much cooler one engulf it. He takes a deep, ragged breath. It sounds painful.

“I’m... I’m pale for you.”

Your air escapes you in a sharp gust of breathy laughter that’s actually more of a sob.

“Why didn’t you tell me before, nookstain?” you sob. “I’m pale for you too.”

But Gamzee doesn’t reply.

It takes you a moment to realize why.

His hand is slack on yours, his skin is rapidly cooling even more than you though was possible, and his chest has stopped shaking with the effort to draw breath.

He’s dead.

It makes your heart lurch. It makes you want to scream and cry and claw and your face and tear at your hair. But it also makes you angry. It makes you taste a rage you didn’t know you were capable of. You can see again, somehow, but it’s all red and liquid, and you realize you’re not seeing with your eyes but with your blood. And this painful rage is burning through your veins and you just want to _RIP AND TEAR AND DESTROY!_

With a scream so loud it feels like your vocal chords will burst, you unleash your fury, your wrath, your hatred on the creatures who killed your beloved. You toss your head back and _wail_. You scream for Tavros, so gentle and timid. You scream for Sollux, the best and worst friend you ever had. You scream for Nepeta, the sweet soul that she is. You scream for Kanaya, the mother of your family of friends. You scream for Terezi, the girl you loved all your life. You scream for Vriska, she had her faults, but you knew she had kindness. You scream for Equius, you hated the asshole. You scream for Eridan, who died without ever knowing kindness. You scream for Feferi, the kindest, gentlest troll you ever met, but also the strongest. And... you scream for Gamzee. You scream for his idiocies and his rare moments of genius. You scream for his kindness and the cruelty he tried to hide. You scream for his laughter and the screams of rage he couldn’t escape. You scream and scream and scream for him.

You scream until you burst, until you feel your blood wetting your skin. Through it, you see the battlefield, and you see the bloody viens snaking up into the sky, twisting, turning and impaling dead trolls like a shishkabbob. They whip around you, making your long hair blow in every direction.

_You know what to do._

You pull a smaller vine away from the rest and it coils around your finger like a snake. Then, you point your finger at Gamzee’s chest.

_“You... you’re the cure, brother, the one thing they can’t control.”_

The slitherbeast shoots off your finger and enters Gamzee’s body. You gasp as your head is suddenly filled with images of darkness, shadow, blood, death, rage, _pain. So much pain_.

You feel your blood seeping through him, pushing all the corrupted darkness out through the rip in his neck. His skin warms beneath yours as your heat floods through him, filling him with life.

When the last of the corruption is gone, the vine of red slithers out and winds around his neck, sealing it shut.

And Gamzee gasps in a deep, shuddering breath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I lied when I said that Karkat dies but whatever. I was INTENDING to kill him off and its the thought that counts!
> 
> Anyways, congrats to those of you who read this whole, long, fucked up miserabubble story about everyone dying. You are obviously a masochist. And I am obviously insane. Not to mention terribubble and horribubble and just plain AWFUBUBBLE.
> 
> DON'T LOOK AT ME DON'T TOUCH ME DON'T TALK TO ME I HATE MYSELF THIS IS AWFUL AND PAINFUL AND WHY DID I DO THIS TO MYSELF?!


	2. Reverie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I finally got chapter two up!!! You guys have no idea how long it took me to actually write this chapter. SO LONG. I was working on it for about a year before I actually posted Eternity Served Cold XD
> 
> The reason it took me so long to finish this chapter is because, originally, I was gonna write smut. But that was clearly not working so I took it out. If the transition between the sex scene and the scene after it seems awkward, I apologize. That's where I dropped the story for a year and finally came back to it. 
> 
> One more thing before you go; I listened to the music on this site (http://homestuck.bandcamp.com/album/cherubim) as I wrote this story. Honestly, you can start at the beginning if you like, or pick a song that looks interesting, or, do what I did, and put Reverie on repeat as you read.
> 
> Have fun!

Something’s changed in him. During the sixty seconds that he was dead, something happened—he saw/heard/felt/experienced _something_ —that changed him. He doesn’t like to talk anymore. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that his throat was torn out, you don’t know. Whatever the reason, the fact remains that you don’t get to hear his voice—soft and deep and lilting whimsically—much anymore.

That doesn’t mean he doesn’t converse with you or Aradia though. He changed in more ways than one while he was dead. One was losing his desire to speak; another was unlocking his chucklevoodoos as a subjuggulator.

The primary ability of chucklevoodoos is to manipulate the fears of others. That alone is a terrifying ability. Being able to get inside someone’s head and twist their fears and make them turn against each other... it’s a power no troll should be able to wield. But that’s not even the extent of a subjuggulator’s power. It’s just the most well-known. Most subjuggulators never even unlock their chucklevoodoo’s full potential; you’re not sure why. Gamzee says it’s because they never truly understood the messiah’s gift. He says it’s because they used their powers for death and destruction, when the messiahs represent life and rebirth.

Maybe that’s why Gamzee’s chucklevoodoos are so advanced and powerful.

Because he understands.

Gamzee uses his chucklevoodoos in ways you’ve never even heard of before. Ways you never dared to imagine were possible. He can do things with them that not even the Grand High-Blood himself—the most advanced and powerful chucklevoodoo user in Alternia—could do. One of those things is melding his mind with yours. Aradia too.

When your minds are merged, you can hear his thoughts and see through his eyes. You can feel his emotions and he can feel yours. You’re even affected by his emotions and vice versa. Its mind blowing. It’s a type of bond that’s so intimate, you would feel uncomfortable about it if it weren’t necessary for your survival.

The merging of your minds makes talking completely unnecessary, which is essential when you’re out on the field, scavenging or moving to another safe house. Speaking aloud will get you killed out there, where the horrortrolls are everywhere, listening and waiting for a chance to strike and wipe you out once and for all.

Melding your minds together also makes you completely in sync with each other, turning your rag-tag-barely-competent three-man team into an unstoppable force of destructive power.

You find that a little ironic, considering.

==>

_Almost there_ , comes Aradia’s thought in your head.

It’s not really a message made of words as much as it is a thought/emotion/image that your brain translates into something that makes sense.

You’re moving to a new safe house. It’s been about a month since you fought off the hord of horrortrolls and brought Gamzee back to life, and you’ve been constantly on the run, never staying in the same place for more than a few nights for fear of horrortrolls finding you.

You’ve been in the deep inlands for the past week, and it’s time for a change of scenery. For the first time since that first week, you’re going back to Gamzee’s hive. It’s the only one of your friends’ hives that hasn’t been discovered by horrortrolls yet, mostly because it’s in such a remote and protected area. It’s right up by the ocean, surrounded on one side by rock cliffs, two sides by water, and the last side by a vast desert that even the horrortrolls don’t like crossing. It’s the ideal hiding place, which is also why you can never stay for too long. If the horrortrolls don’t catch sight of you for too long, they’ll eventually figure out where you’re hiding, and then you’re pretty much fucked.

You’ve been looking forward to spending a week at Gamzee’s hive. It’s like a vacation away from all the stress and danger of your everyday lives in this apocalypse stricken world. For an entire week, you don’t have to worry about getting discovered or running for your lives. You can relax and replenish your energy.

Of course, that doesn’t take away from the danger of actually getting there.

Even though you can navigate perfectly fine without your eyes, Gamzee and Aradia still don’t trust you not to get lost on your own. One of them—usually Gamzee—always goes with you when your group splits up. Sometimes (especially when you’re being attacked) it annoys you, but mostly it’s just nice to be cared about.

Aradia split off from your group to scout ahead. She can get up to two and a half leagues away before Gamzee’s mind link starts to weaken, and if that doesn’t say anything about his chucklevoodoo’s strength, nothing will.

You and Gamzee are going to meet up with Aradia at the rendezvous point, a small clearing near the edge of the forest. You’re about a mile away and moving in quickly, Gamzee tugging you along by the hand. You easily keep up with his pace; you’re able to sense all the trees around you, and Gamzee would never let you run into anything.

It’s when you’re less than half a mile away that you hear them. They’ve obviously already picked up on your presence and your sensitive ears twitch in response to hearing them crash through the trees.

_Horrortrolls_ , you send through the mind link, to both your companions. _Three of them, by the sound of it, but there could be more behind them._

_Motherfuck_ , Gamzee thinks back, and his hand tightens around yours.

_Stay where you are_ , says Aradia. _I’ll be there shortly_.

_Got it_.

You let go of Gamzee’s hand to decaptchalogue the twin blades you picked up somewhere along the way during the past month. They’re not your sickles, but they’re easier to fight with than anything else you’ve used. Gamzee makes a displeased sound in his mind over having to let go of you, but you shush him mentally and he doesn’t protest.

Aradia arrives in a flurry of cold air and smoke a second later, and you all stand with your backs to each other, shoulders touching. You wait.

It takes all of thirty seconds for the horrortrolls to come crashing into the clearing, blood dripping down their chins and coating their bodies. You sink into a low crouch, blood pusher hammering away in your chest, and wait for the adrenaline to kick in and subsequently result in a bloodrage.

It doesn’t happen.

Before you can even lift a finger, Gamzee is upon the horrortrolls and they’re all dead; their heads smashed clean off their bodies.

_You hear any more, brother?_ Gamzee asks, not a trace of a snarl in his mind.

You shake your head, still in shock of how quickly he snuffed those horrortrolls out. You always knew he was stronger than most trolls, but to kill three in one hit is something that only a handful of purplebloods can do.

_Well then what are we all up and standing around for?_ he growls. _Let’s go._

You feel him ghost his hand over your wrist and captchalogue your twin blades so he can hold one of your now empty hands. He starts tugging you forward and you follow obediently. A small part of you twinges in annoyance at the fact that he thinks you’re helpless to get around on your own, but the rest of you knows that he just wants to protect you; he doesn’t want to lose you again. And you feel the same way about him, so you’ll never complain when he practically drags you over the land by your hand.

You know it’s getting late when you feel the heat of the rising sun against your back. You’ve been running all night, but you’re surprisingly not tired yet. You doubt Gamzee is either, because he once crossed the entire five night journey from his hive to the city in less than three nights.

_Sun’s coming up_ , Aradia informs you.

_Really?_ you snap back, sarcasm evident. _I hadn’t noticed._

Aradia mentally snorts at you, but otherwise continues as if she hadn’t heard you.

_Should we stop for the day or keep going?_

_I’m not tired yet,_ you say.

You feel Gamzee mentally sifting through the options, weighing the pros and cons of each. On the one hand, he wants to stop so you can rest. On the other hand, he wants to keep going and get you to safety faster. You helpfully make the suggestion that if you get tired he could always carry you and that puts an end to his mental debate.

_We keep going_.

If it wasn’t already obvious, Gamzee has sort of taken on the role of leader of your little group, something that would piss you off to no end if you weren’t the one who was really calling the shots. You let him take care of you; let him think he’s in charge, but you’re the one who’s really pulling the strings.

==>

The sun’s heat hits you hard when you finally pass from the shade of the trees onto the bare sand of the desert. Gamzee feels your discomfort and expresses concern, but you wave him off mentally and keep going, focusing most of your energy on keeping your footing in the constantly shifting sand. Though you’ve gotten used to running through the sand, you’re still not as good as Gamzee, who’s spent his whole life living on the beach and moving through sand.

By the time you get to Gamzee’s hive, the sun is almost at its peak in the sky, making it nearly unbearably hot. Gamzee has been close to flipping his shit for the last half hour because you’ve become so faint. You try not to show it, but it’s a vain effort when he’s in your head and can tell exactly what you’re feeling.

You absolutely do not make a girly sounding squeak when he swipes at the back of your legs, causing your knees to buckle and you to fall backwards, straight into Gamzee’s arms. Your automatic reaction is to grab onto his shoulders in case he drops you, even though logically you know it’s completely idiotic to think that Gamzee would ever let you fall.

“Gogdamnit, Gamzee! Put me the fuck down!” you squawk at him, though you might as well be yelling at a brick wall for all the good it does you.

Ignoring your protests—both verbal and mental—Gamzee carries you the rest of the way to his hive, opening the front door with his foot and setting you back on your feet once you’re inside and out of the sun.

His hive has that drafty, musty smell that places that have been abandoned get. Other than that, though, it hasn’t changed since you last stayed here.

Gamzee gives a soft sigh of relief and you feel the last threads of his chucklevoodoos fall away from your pan, letting go of the connection between your thinkpans. You automatically grab at it, reluctant to let go. Gamzee brushes your mind gently, reminding you that, even without the mind meld, he’s still here. You breathe out… and release your hold on his mind.

“I’ll go check the borders,” Aradia says softly from behind you, breaking any sort of moment you might have been having.

“Put up some wards too,” you say as she turns to leave. “I can strengthen them later.”

“Okay,” Aradia says with a slight nod that you only just barely catch.

There’s a chilling breeze when she lifts off and flies away. It feels good on your skin, which is still burning hot from being out under the sun all morning.

==>

You want to grab him and drag him upstairs to the pile of snuggle planes, pillows, romcoms, horns, and other junk you made the first time you stayed here. You want to snuggle up to him and hold him and kiss him and never let him go, but you know he would protest the whole time, so you don’t. Still, the exhaustion you’re feeling through the mind link you’ve got going makes your pity humors go wild with pale feelings. Makes you want to protect him from the world, even though you know can’t.

Karkat makes this sort of desperate, sad noise as you drop your mind link and it makes you want to invade his head with everything you feel in your bloodpusher for him, but a troll needs his motherfucking space and you’ve got some wicked voices screaming in your pan that you need to deal with. You can’t address them when you’re connected to your diamond firecracker for fear of them slipping through the mind link and terrifying him. Driving him away from you.

You give him a soft brush of comfort before your chucklevoodoos drop away completely. You turn away from him and the ghostly figure of Aradia as she speaks, not listening to either of them. Instead, you make your way upstairs to your rumpus-block-turned-respiteblock and flop down in the pile that takes up practically half the room.

  
The pile is big enough for you to stretch out completely in any direction and you relish in the space, stretching your long limbs and shifting a bit to get that movie case to stop poking in your back before allowing yourself to go limp and boneless. Karkat has followed you into the block and stands at the foot of the pile, starring at you, but you ignore him in favor of finally getting those voices in your pan to shut the motherfuck up.

Karkat knows about the voices you hear in your head, because it’s something that a lot of trolls with your blood color have—something to do with the chucklevoodoos, you think—but, since he brought you back to life, they’ve changed. They’re more violent now; they don’t whisper thoughts of culling trolls and painting the wicked pictures anymore. In fact, they don’t mention the mirthful messiahs at all. Instead, they scream at you to rip out the innards of any troll you look at; to drink their blood and eat their heart.

You don’t listen to them, obviously, because you’ve got self-control and you would never even dream of hurting Karkat (and all the other trolls you come across are horrortrolls). You’re used to ignoring the voices. After all, you’ve been doing it since your first pupation from wrigglerhood.

When Karkat climbs into the pile to cuddle up next to you, you can’t ignore him anymore, not that you would ever ignore him for more than a few minutes anyways. He’s a welcome distraction from your own thinkpan, because he’s warm and his hands leave tingles on your skin. You sigh into his long, black hair and wrap your long arms around him, pulling him close.

You drift off for a while, comfortable in Karkat’s embrace. It’s only when Karkat shifts out of the pile to go enforce the wards Aradia put up that you float back to consciousness. You’re only half awake though, and Karkat is back in what seems like no time at all, pressing himself up against your back and wrapping his arms around you.

You let out a sigh of relief that’s mostly unconscious and press back against him.

Karkat pulls a snuggleplane over the both of you, but you almost don’t need it he’s so warm. You let yourself relax and hear the rumbling of your purr start up in your thorax. You’re pretty self-conscious about your purr because it’s so deep and growly, but Karkat starts purring back at you and you decide you’re just too tired to care.

With Karkat wrapped around you, vibrating against you with his purring, you slip back into dreamland—

—And into the embrace of your dayterrors.

==>

There are translucent purple tears streaming down his cheeks. You can’t see them, but you can feel the wetness against your palms, and taste the stray tears that drop down onto your lips. His tears have a very distinct taste to them, like watered down grape faygo.

 

_Fuck_.

 

He’s _crying_.

 

“Gamzee. What’s wrong?”

 

His only reply is a choked down sob. You pull him down into your arms and he buries his face in your neck. You’re glad you’ve taken to sleeping shirtless or you would have one less shirt come evening, if the wetness against your skin is saying anything.

 

“Gamzee... talk to me. What’s wrong?”

 

He doesn’t say anything, not that you expected him to, but he does reply this time. Using his chucklevoodoos, he projects a series of morbid images into your brain. Dead Tavros; his head smashed clean off his body, only recognizable by those unfairly huge horns of his. Dead Nepeta; her body broken and bruised in a pool of olive blood. Dead Kanaya; a bloody hole in her chest, her heart torn out, ripped into with sharp teeth, and a club coming down on her face. Dead Terezi; her arm sticking out beneath a boulder and teal blood oozing out on all sides. Dead Vriska; her chest beaten in, broken ribs sticking out like a cage, with both arms missing and a sharp splinter of wood in her eye and out the back of her head. Dead Eridan; cut in half, dripping violet down the wall he’s pinned to and onto the ground, with Feferi’s trident through his neck.

 

_Memories_. He’s remembering killing all of his friends. The pain those memories cause him makes your heart lurch and you suck in a sharp breath. Your claws dig into his skin and you feel more wetness against your fingertips. You force yourself to calm down and smooth your palms against the skin of his back to soothe the wounds. He doesn’t seem to notice.

 

If not for him, for your desire--your _need_ \--to pacify him, calm him down, the force, gore, and overall _pain_ of those memories would probably make you throw up. As it is, you’re almost breaking down into a panic attack, all your muscles tightening until there’s so much tension it feels like you could snap at the smallest amount of pressure; your breaths coming short and quick until you’re nearly hyperventilating; your heart pounding away like a drum in your chest, your blood rushing in your ears. But this isn’t about you. It’s for Gamzee, and you need to be calm in order to do the same for him.

 

So you take a few deep, calming breaths and force down the panic welling up in your chest; slow the pounding of your heart and open your ears to listen.

 

The death that eats at him the most is Kanaya’s, and you know why. He wasn’t in a bloodrage at the time. His mind was sane and clear and there wasn’t a single voice whispering at him to ‘paint the mirthful pictures.’ It was just something he had to do. She was in pain and dying and begging him with the last of her strength to kill her before she became something terrible.

 

The memories don’t stop with your friends deaths though, oh no. They keep going, as Gamzee relives the deaths of every troll he’s ever killed. It’s horrible and painful, and almost enough to send you into another panic.

 

When you can’t take the pain of his memories anymore, you push back with your own memories, trying to suppress his.

 

But your memories aren’t painful ones. They’re soft and sweet like a spoonful of sugar. They’re memories of times with him that make your bloodpusher swell with pale yearnings. You show him your memory of your first meeting, finding him passed out on his floor with empty pie tins strewn around the room. You remember sitting on one of the rock cliffs by his hive, watching the pink moon set over the ocean. You remind him of all the times he pulled you down into a pile of horns when you were flipping your shit. You think back on all the trollian conversations, the things you said and didn’t say.

 

His heavy breathing softens and his pounding heart slows; tears are still streaming down his face, but at least he’s calm.

 

You press your cheek against his and start up a light purr, letting the vibrations run through your entire body. He lets out a soft sigh of contentment and nuzzles your neck, projecting his gratitude into your mind. Your arms tighten around him as your purr rises in volume and vibration. You’re so comfortable here, with him laying on top of you, wrapped in your arms. So comfortable and sleepy.

 

You’re about to drift off when he stirs again, pushing himself up and shifting his weight off of you. Your limp arms slip off him and land, spread, on either side of you. You whine, wondering why he’s moving.

 

“ _Karkat_ ,” he rasps, and it sounds strange with his disused voice.

 

Still, the sound of it is both music to your auricular sponge clots and a stab of panic to your pusher because he never speaks unless he _needs_ you. And you are suddenly wide awake.

 

You don’t feel steady enough to reply—your bloodpusher is jackhammering away in your chest and you just _know_ your voice would come out cracked and broken, if at all—so you just sit up slightly and press your forehead against his, winding a hand around the back of his neck and tangling your fingers in his silky hair to keep him there; silently telling him that you’re here and listening.

 

“Karkat,” he repeats and, this time, you press your mind against his too. “I love you.”

 

It makes your heart skip a beat and your breath catch in your throat. There’s so much emotion in his voice--so much emotion in his _mind_ \--there’s really no way you could ever doubt his words to be true.

 

You purr and stroke his arm soothingly.

 

“I know.”

 

He pulls away and you nearly whine at the loss of contact.

 

“No, brother,” he says, distressed. “ _I love you_.”

 

You capture his face with your hands and hold it steady. Your pinkies brush gently against that span of skin on his neck that’s warmer than the rest of him; that thin band you know would be bright, candy red if you could see. You can feel yourself frowning and try to soften your facial muscles because you know he’ll think it’s because of what he said and that’s not it _at all_.

 

You drag his face closer to yours until you’re practically nose to nose and you can feel his breath on your lips.

 

“ _I know_ ,” you say firmly, and you do.

 

You are hit with his overwhelming love for you every time you bare your minds to each other. His love, which feels so pale, but flushed at the same time. You _know_ it drives him crazy, not being able to figure out his feelings for you. You _know_ how he feels, you _do_. And it never fails to make you dizzy with pity for him, because he just _loves you so fucking much_.

 

And, sometimes, you think you might love him too.

 

Times like this, when he’s hovering over you, half-naked in the dark. When he’s got this whirlwind of passion and unspoken thoughts in his mind; the chaos just barely brushing you. When he’s got that look in his eye, the one you’ll never get to see, but can taste and smell and _feel_ all the same.

 

When you want to kiss him because he’s beautiful in a way you can’t explain.

 

You love him.

 

You pull him down, pressing your lips against his, pouring all your love into it, making a glittering white diamond in your minds.

 

At first, he hesitates and, for one, awful second, you think you’ve gone too far. But then he’s kissing you back; and his loving is pouring deep and red into your diamond, flushing it sunset red. And it’s beautiful.

 

And suddenly you’re much warmer, feeling the heat pool in the pit of your stomach. You trace your tongue along the seam of his lips as your hands dance down his bare chest, skating along the sensitive skin of his grub scars. He makes a soft sound against your lips as you lick into his mouth, tongue tracing the length of his and exploring the warm, wet cavern behind his lips.

 

You feel his hands pressing weakly against your chest and pull away, your lips parting in a soft, intimate sounding _smack_. You’re both breathing heavily and that heat in your stomach is seeping into your groin. It takes you a few moments to realize that _he pushed you away and oh fuck, what if you pushed too far??_

 

Jegus _fuck_ , this is really backwards isn’t it? You’re the one with pale feelings, but you’re still the one who keeps taking it too far into flushed relations. How the fuck does that work?

 

_What are you doing?_ he asks you.

 

His voice in your mind is heavy with lust, a thin sliver of panic barely noticeable.

 

That’s all the encouragement you need to dive back in and kiss him again, letting your hands roam over every inch of soft, cool skin they can reach, feeling strong muscles stretch and coil beneath them.

 

This time, he pushes your hands away, pinning them to the pile with his own hands, but keeps kissing you.

 

_What are you doing, brother?_

 

You growl softly at him, straining at the hold he’s got on your hands, wanting to get at all that soft skin. Wanting to feel it heat beneath your palms.

 

Your mouth snarls, “Shut the fuck up,” at the same time as your mind says, _I want you_ , and you can smell him blinking in surprise—ash sliding over lemon and grape.

 

It’s clear he’s not sure how to respond to that, so you do it for him, pushing away hands that have gone slack on your wrists and pulling him down to seal your lips against his again. After a moment of hesitation, he gives in and kisses you back.

 

His lips are surprisingly soft and yielding against yours, parting easily when you nip the bottom one, letting your tongue slip into his mouth. You feel a sharp pang between your legs when he retaliates by sliding one long-fingered hand down your chest, pausing briefly to finger your gills. Then he’s sliding his hand down again, farther, and you moan--all out _moan_.

 

“ _Karkat_ ,” he pants, breaking away from your lips.

  
You moan softly and latch on to his neck, biting down and sucking where his pulse beats erratically beneath the skin.

==>

Later, when you’re both laying there in a sated and sleepy haze, you hear your husktop _ping_. Gamzee whines at the sudden noise and buries his face further into the pile, but you decide to get up and see what the fuck your husktop is pinging about. It can’t be someone messaging you, because you’re pretty sure all the trolls on Alternia are dead.

You find your pants at the foot of the pile and slide them on before making your way over to the desk. You sit down and decaptchalogue your husktop and opening it up. To your surprise, the window for Trollian is the first thing to pop up. Sniffing at the screen, you try to make out the words.

ceresGrief [cg]  opened a memo in  a message to survivors 

cg: if ure reading this  
cg: congratulations  
cg: uve managed to survive w#at we like to call p#ase one of the apocalypse  
cg: and uve come into range of our group  
cg: close enough that our servers were able to detect u through trollian and connect u to t#is memo  
cg: in case ure wondering  
cg: there are ot#ers like u out #ere  
cg: our group of five is still out #ere and we dont plan on dying anytime soon  
cg: if u wis# to make contact wit# us  
cg: #it random pester and u will automatically be connected to one of us  
cg: good luck 

ceresGrief [cg]  closed memo 

…There are other trolls out there! And they’re close by, according to the memo. Deciding it’s worth the risk to be able to talk to other _living_ trolls, you hit ‘random pester’ and wait.

carcinoGeneticist [CG]  began pestering  ceresGrief [cg] 

CG: HOLY FUCK IT FUCKING WORKED  
CG: I WAS NOT FUCKING EXPECTING THAT TO ACTUALLY FUCKING WORK!  
CG: SO ARE YOU ACTUALLY STILL ALIVE OUT THERE OR AM I JUST WASTING MY FUCKING TIME? 

cg: wow u swear a lot 

CG: HOLY FUCK YOU ARE REAL! 

cg: of course im real u dolt  
cg: as are my companions 

CG: SO WHERE ARE YOU PEOPLE? 

cg: im not telling u 

CG: WHAT THE FUCK?  
CG: WHY THE FUCK NOT?  
CG: I THOUGHT THE WHOLE POINT OF ME MESSAGING YOU WAS SO THAT WE COULD MEET UP. 

cg: well #ow do i know ure not a #orrorterror? 

CG: HAVE YOU EVER FUCKING SEEN A HORRORTERROR USE A COMPUTER?  
CG: NEWS FLASH  
CG: THEY CAN’T DUMBASS  
CG: THEY’RE TOO DEAD 

twistedColours [tc]  began pestering  carcinoGeneticist [CG] 

tc: carcino haS a MOTHERFUCKING point cereS  
tc: So where are you MOTHERFUCKERS?  
tc: we’ll come to you 

CG: THERES MORE OF YOU INCONSIDERATE NOOKSTAINS  
CG: AND WE’RE AT MY FRIEND’S HIVE ALONG THE BEACH.   
CG: WE’RE NEXT TO A CLIFF 

cg: descriptive  
cg: t#at tells us EXACTLY w#ere you are  
cg: it will be so easy to find you now 

tc: no need to be SarcaStic MOTHERFUCKER  
tc: we can find them baSed on that alone.  
tc: not like there are a whole lot of MOTHERFUCKING cliffS along the beach.  
tc: no worrieS carcino  
tc: we’ll find you 

CG: WE MIGHT FUCKING BE GOING INTO TOWN TOMORROW THOUGH  
CG: WE’RE RUNNING LOW ON FUCKING FOOD  
CG: YOU COULD FUCKING MEET UP WITH US THERE? 

cg: o# t#at would actually work better  
cg: ure talking about t#e city rig#t next to t#e ocean rig#t?  
cg: were staying rig#t near t#ere rig#t now  
cg: place is freaking SWARMING wit# horrortrolls t#oug# so be carefull 

tc: so we’ll MOTHERFUCKING meet in the city tomorrow :o) 

CG: YEAH THAT WOULD ACTUALLY FUCKING WORK  
CG: I’LL RUN THE PLAN BY MY FRIENDS IN THE EVENING  
CG: BUT I DON’T SEE WHY THEY WOULD HAVE A FUCKING PROBLEM WITH IT  
CG: AND IF THEY DO THEY CAN JUST FUCKING SUCK MY NOOK  
CG: I’M THE FUCKING LEADER OF OUR SHITTY BRIGADE 

tc: haha okay MOTHERFUCKER  
tc: See you tomorrow! 

twistedColours [tc]  ceased pestering  carcinoGeneticist [CG] 

ceresGrief [cg]  ceased pestering  carcinoGeneticist [CG] 

==>

timeLord [tl]  began pestering  carcinoGeneticist [CG] 

tl: Hello there  
tl: I’m Aryana, the leader of our group.  
tl: Yesterday, you spoke with Lairae [cg] and Sanier [tc].  
tl: I’m supposed to tell you that when you get into the city, go to central park  
tl: That’s where I and my friends will be waiting for you.  
tl: If you run into trouble, try to find a chance to message us and we’ll come to get you if we are able. 

CG: HOW MANY OF YOU FUCKING ASSHOLES ARE THERE?? 

tl: Wow Lara was right  
tl: You DO swear a lot  
tl: And there’s five of us total.  
tl: Quinne and Chessy are the two that you haven’t met yet.  
tl: how many are there of you? 

CG: THREE  
CG: ME, MY MOIRAIL, AND MY FRIEND  
CG: I’M KARKAT BY THE WAY. MY MOIRAIL IS GAMZEE AND MY FRIEND IS ARADIA 

tl: I see.  
tl: Well I must be going now.  
tl: We’re planning to clean up the city as we make our way towards central park.  
tl: We’d like to make this place a home base at some point, but it’s difficult with all the horrortrolls here.  
tl: Be careful, and good luck. 

CG: WAIT!!!  
CG: YOUR TEXT IS RED…  
CG: ARE YOU A REDBLOOD? 

tl: …  
tl: I guess you’ll just have to find out, won’t you? 

timeLord [tl]  ceased pestering  carcinoGeneticist [CG] 

You stare blankly at the screen. The troll calling herself Aryana was _definitely_ a redblood. But that can’t be right. Red is an extremely rare blood mutation. There shouldn’t _be_ any others besides you. But there obviously _are_ , because Aryana uses red text and wouldn’t give you a straight answer when you asked.

You are suddenly much more excited about meeting these people.

A large hand settles on your shoulder and you sense the purples and greys that signal Gamzee standing behind you.

_You ready to go, brother?_ comes his voice in your mind.

You smile softly at him.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” you say. “Let’s go meet these assfucking trolls.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter is a lot more tame on killing off characters than the first one, but that's because I didn't want to get into such an awful mess in a chapter called 'Reverie'. 
> 
> Anyways, what did you guys think? Please leave comments on any suggestions or comments you have. Even if its just to say "I love your story!", comments are every author's lifeblood and they help me get the next chapter to you faster.
> 
> Thanks for reading! See you in the next chapter!

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so I lied when I said that Karkat dies but whatever. I was INTENDING to kill him off and its the thought that counts!
> 
> Anyways, congrats to those of you who read this whole, long, fucked up miserabubble story about everyone dying. You are obviously a masochist. And I am obviously insane. Not to mention terribubble and horribubble and just plain AWFUBUBBLE.
> 
> DON'T LOOK AT ME DON'T TOUCH ME DON'T TALK TO ME I HATE MYSELF THIS IS AWFUL AND PAINFUL AND WHY DID I DO THIS TO MYSELF?!


End file.
